Depending on whom you ask, summer has a different starting point. For some, the summer solstice is considered to be the start. According to meteorologists, it is June 1st. For children, it’s the day that school is done for the year.* For others, it’s Memorial Day weekend. Regardless to which date you observe, summer is approaching rapidly.

Summer brings longer days and warmer temperatures. Even those who work year ’round look forward to a slower pace and weekend cookouts. Fresh produce is readily available, and lemonade stands can be found in neighborhoods everywhere. Another reason to look forward to summer is the return of restaurants that open only during these warmer months.

Over the next month or so, we will be highlighting one summer restaurant each week. All of the restaurants that we are featuring are full-service restaurants. Even though we appreciate an ice cream cone as much as the next person, those can be found quite easily. What we sought were restaurants that provide a wonderful menu of options but only do so in the warmer months.

We have a handful of delightful restaurants to share with you. Of course, if you have suggestions, feel free to leave a comment. If your restaurant meets our criteria, we’d gladly add it to our list.

Return tomorrow to meet the first in our Summer Restaurant series.

*Our apologies to students who attend school in a full year system. We are sure there are other perks that replace having the summer off.